CCSD graduation rate holds at 81.5% for class of 2024; trustees press for clearer links to proficiency and supports

Clark County School District reported a 4‑year high school graduation rate of 81.5% for the class of 2024 during a board presentation Jan. 9, 2025, and trustees pressed district staff for clearer connections between the graduation metric and student proficiency measures such as the ACT.

Interim Superintendent Brenda Larson Mitchell introduced the report and Dustin Mansell, the district’s chief academic officer, opened the presentation, saying, “Today, we are here to provide an update on Clark County School District’s graduation rates as a part of FOCUS 2024.” The presentation was prepared by the district’s Assessment, Accountability, Research and School Improvement division.

Why it matters: The 4‑year graduation rate is a prominent accountability measure on the Nevada School Performance Framework and affects public trust, district strategic goals and future board oversight. Several trustees and public speakers noted a perceived disconnect between the 81.5% graduation rate and low scores on college‑and‑career readiness assessments cited in public materials.

Key findings presented

- The district 4‑year graduation rate for the class of 2024 remained steady at 81.5% from the prior year. - The state’s graduation indicator on the Nevada School Performance Framework allocates 25 points to the 4‑year rate and 5 points to the extended 5‑year rate. - District presenters said 35 CCSD high schools earned the full 25 points on the graduation indicator and that, across comparison districts, “51 CCSD high schools… exceeded the state rate.” - The district reported roughly 6,000 college‑and‑career‑ready (CCR) diplomas in the class of 2024, an increase of 60 from the prior year, and said the number of CCR diplomas has been rising. - District staff identified the lack of a universal system to track students whose whereabouts are unknown after withdrawal — and inconsistent implementation of Multi‑Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) — as a major challenge.

What trustees and the public asked

Multiple trustees asked staff to explain how graduation rates can rise while proficiency on standardized college‑and‑career measures remains low. Public commenter Tiffany Bemel cited state and national ACT and proficiency reports and asked, “Are we graduating non‑proficient seniors?”

Assistant Superintendent Greg Manzi answered that the ACT is the state’s college‑and‑career readiness assessment and that Nevada requires student participation but not a passing score for graduation. Manzi noted the ACT cut scores and told trustees the district’s high school ACT mathematics proficiency was about 19% (the ACT cut score for CCR in math is 20), while English Language Arts results were recovering toward pre‑pandemic levels. Manzi said, “So we have exactly 6,000 college and career ready diplomas in this class of 2024, which is an increase of 60 from the year prior.”

Manzi and Mansell also explained the cohort calculation used for the 4‑year rate: a student’s cohort begins when they enter grade 9, and students may be removed or added to cohorts when they transfer, exit the country, or are otherwise documented.

Support and next steps described by staff

District presenters listed several next steps and ongoing efforts: strengthening MTSS implementation, expanding ELL Pathways (including elective, double‑blocked supports for newcomer and long‑term English learners rolled out districtwide this year), improving master scheduling to increase access to advanced coursework, expanding parent access to student data via the parent portal, and adding tools to help schools monitor unsuccessful transfers and whereabouts‑unknown cases.

Staff said the district is seeing progress on tracking unsuccessful transfers and reported a year‑over‑year reduction in unsuccessful transfers from about 14% to about 12.5% for recent cohorts. They also said the district averages about 400 summer graduates who complete requirements after the school year ends.

Public comment and trustee direction

Public speakers raised concerns about the gap between proficiency data and graduation counts, called for clearer public reporting on what diplomas signify, and urged more family supports and academic interventions. Trustees requested clearer “how‑to” explanations in future presentations — concrete, transparent timelines and steps for the initiatives listed under next steps — and asked staff to provide common talking points to board members so the board can present a consistent message to the community.

Ending note

Trustees voted 7–0 to accept the graduation‑rate update as presented, and staff said they will continue to refine supports, monitoring tools and family engagement strategies to better align course access and proficiency with diploma pathways.